Title in the Language of the Record

Registros Paroquiais da Igreja Católica em Brasil

Record Description

This collection includes records from 1835 to 2012.

The collection has baptism, marriage and death records for parishes throughout the states of Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Paraíba, Pará, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, Sergipe and São Paulo.

Each type of record is bound in separate registers. Most records follow the same format; in earlier years, however, the records were written in narrative form and later in formatted records. Some of the older registers may appear to have some physical damage; therefore some data may have been lost or may be very difficult to read. However, in general they are in good condition to extract genealogical information.

Catholic Church records began in Brazil with the arrival of the ministers from Portugal. Parish priests performed the sacraments of baptisms and marriages and other holy sacraments in the parish under their jurisdiction. All the original parish records were kept in the parish archive and a duplicate copy was sent to the diocesan archive. These records are a reliable source for doing genealogical research in all of Brazil.

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Citation for This Collection

The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

How to Use the Records

To browse this collection you will need to follow this series of links:⇒ Select the Browse link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the Nome do Estado category⇒ Select the Nome da Cidade category ⇒ Select the Nome da Paróquia category ⇒ Select the Tipo de Registo e Anos category which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

The Catholic Church parish records are an excellent source for genealogical research in Brazil. These may also be the only available records before the implementation of the civil registration in about 1888. These records may include other family information that will help in the research for other generations. In order to find an entry in this collection, it is necessary to know first the place where the ancestors lived, the year, and his/her name.

Known Issues with This Collection

For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection, see the attached Known Issues Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to support@familysearch.org. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered

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Contributions to This Article

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Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections

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